Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited condition that affects several organs, including the gut. People with CF often experience uncomfortable digestive symptoms such as bloating, gas, abdominal pain, and constipation. The root cause is that the gut produces thicker-than-normal mucus, which slows things down and makes it harder for the bowel to work properly. Current treatments such as laxatives, enemas, or surgery can be inconvenient and don't always work well. There is a real need for better options, and for a clearer understanding of how the CF gut behaves and responds to treatment. This study will use MRI, a non-invasive imaging technique, to look at how fluid moves through the gut in adults with CF and the impact of linaclotide. Linaclotide is a licensed medication used to treat chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. It works by encouraging the gut to release more fluid, helping things move more easily. It acts locally in the gut and is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Early research suggests it may help in CF in a way that does not rely on correcting the underlying genetic fault, making it a promising avenue to explore. Participants will include people with different bowel habits, including those who tend towards constipation and those who tend towards diarrhoea. The scans will help researchers check whether certain MRI measurements can reliably detect changes in gut fluid and movement. This is a feasibility study; its main objective is to test whether these MRI measurements are useful and practical, and support a sample size calculation, in future CF studies investigating linaclotide effects.

This multicenter, non-interventional case-control study investigates whether household environmental reservoirs, particularly water systems, are associated with non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Environmental samples from the homes of CF patients with and without NTM infection will be analyzed and genetically compared with available clinical isolates, alongside assessment of environmental risk factors, to improve understanding of exposure pathways and inform future prevention strategies.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease that affects over 11,000 people in the UK. It is a genetic condition that affects many organs including the lungs, pancreas, kidneys and liver. New drugs called "modulators" have meant people with CF are now living much longer. Until recently, heart disease was rare in CF, but with the new modulators there are increasing concerns that heart disease may become a big problem in the future. This is partly to do with the drugs causing weight gain and higher blood pressure, which are risk factors for heart disease. My PhD project aims to find out whether the blood vessels and hearts of people with CF are healthy or diseased. I will then find out how the blood vessels are changing over time and work out what things are driving those changes. I will measure the health of the blood vessels and heart using an ultrasound machine to understand what the pattern of disease is like and who might be at the highest risk for heart disease in the future. I will then repeat these measurements a year later. I will compare people of different ages and with different types of disease to understand what things may help us identify heart disease as soon as possible. In the general population, doctors often use medical prediction tools to find out who is at the highest risk for heart disease. We do not know if these work for people with CF, so I will also find out whether those prediction tools are useful in CF. It is vital to understand who may be at risk for heart disease, as one of the most effective ways of treating heart disease is to prevent it from happening. This work may pave the way for future studies to test early treatment for heart disease in those people we identify might be at high risk. Early prevention treatment could reduce the risk of heart disease and ultimately improve the length and quality of life of people living with CF. This is particularly important given people with CF already have a much shorter life expectancy than the general population. In summary, this PhD project will help improve our understanding of heart disease in CF and help identify the best way forward to prevent heart disease causing health problems related to heart disease for these individuals in the future.

In this study, ANG003, a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT; commonly called "enzymes"), is being investigated as a potential treatment for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). People with EPI due to Cystic Fibrosis (CF) may be eligible to participate in this study. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of ANG003 and see if it works as well compared to Creon, an approved PERT.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of autogenic drainage and mechanical percussion on lung function, dyspnea, and quality of life in children with cystic fibrosis. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does autogenic drainage improve lung function more effectively than mechanical percussion in children with cystic fibrosis? * Does autogenic drainage reduce dyspnea (breathlessness) more effectively than mechanical percussion? * Does autogenic drainage improve health-related quality of life more effectively than mechanical percussion? Researchers will compare autogenic drainage with mechanical percussion to determine which airway clearance technique provides greater benefits for children with cystic fibrosis. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive either autogenic drainage or mechanical percussion therapy. * Participate in supervised treatment sessions five times per week for six weeks. * Undergo assessments of lung function using spirometry (FEV₁ and FVC), dyspnea using the Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale, and quality of life using the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) before and after the intervention period. The findings of this study may help identify the most effective airway clearance technique for improving respiratory health and quality of life in children with cystic fibrosis.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new treatment called AchromoPhage is safe and well tolerated in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have long-term lung infections caused by Achromobacter bacteria. AchromoPhage is a mixture of four naturally occurring viruses, called phages, that are designed to target and kill Achromobacter. This study will include 12 participants. People will be randomly assigned to one of three groups to receive AchromoPhage in different ways: by inhalation only, by intravenous (IV) infusion only, or by inhalation followed by IV infusion. Participants will: * Receive the study drug during clinic visits over a period of three weeks. * Provide blood, sputum, nasal, and oral samples so researchers can measure how the phages move through the body, how long they stay, and whether the body develops a response against them. * Complete breathing tests and quality-of-life questionnaires. The main question this study will answer is whether AchromoPhage causes any serious or treatment-limiting side effects in the first 42 days after dosing. Researchers will also look at changes in lung function, quality of life, phage levels in the body, and how the treatment affects Achromobacter and other bacteria in the lungs. The study is being run at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) and the University of California San Diego (San Diego, CA).

The investigators are conducting a pilot open-label pre/post interventional trial in adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) and abnormal glucose tolerance or early CF-related diabetes mellitus (CFRD) to assess the safety and efficacy of verapamil on beta cell function and dysglycemia.

The REACT trial consists of two parallel, randomized studies; the Hypertonic Saline Study and the Dornase Alfa Study. Health outcomes among people with cystic fibrosis (CF) have been steadily improving, most recently with the advent of highly effective modulator therapy (HEMT). While therapies like hypertonic saline (HS) and dornase alfa (DA) improved outcomes in the past, they are often burdensome. Now that almost 90% of the North American CF population is being treated with elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) or vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor (VTD), this trial will evaluate whether these newer treatments make daily HS or DA unnecessary. The trial begins with a 6-week run-in period where participants continue ETI or VTD but stop using HS and DA. Eligible participants are then assigned to either the HS Study or the DA Study for one year. Within those groups, they are randomized to either daily use of HS or DA or as needed use only during respiratory illnesses. The study aims to find out if lung health is similar between children and teens taking HEMT who use HS or DA treatments daily and those who use HS or DA treatments only when they are sick.

Sputum culture has been the best approach to detect harmful bacteria in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). With the widespread use of new CF therapies (like Trikafta and Alyftrak), it is more difficult for people with CF to produce sputum even though they still have harmful bacteria in their lungs. The SEND-CF study is being done to see if there are other ways to detect harmful bacteria in the lungs.

There is no study to date that has evaluated the impact or effect of a Mediterranean diet in children with CF. The goal of this study would be to help provide better guidance around questions the investigators, as CF care providers continue to receive from patients and families about how to best promote overall health in pediatric cystic fibrosis from a dietary perspective. Currently, the updated nutritional recommendations are variable and broad. Parents continue to search for more concrete guidance about how best to promote long-term health given the ever-increasing life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients in this new area of advanced therapeutics. Given the changing landscape of the CF care in general, children are less likely to struggle with early life malnutrition, and it is becoming increasingly clear that high fat, high calorie diets are not beneficial nor are necessary for all children with CF.

This is a longitudinal, observational epidemiological study designed to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and behavior problems in children ages 18 months through 11 years with cystic fibrosis (CF).

In this study, xenon MRI will be used to evaluate regional functional consequences of mucus plugs in the lungs of patients with muco-obstructive pulmonary disease. Mucus plugs will be identified using CT imaging, and xenon MRI will be used to evaluate ventilation and gas exchange impairments in regions of the lungs corresponding to the airways downstream of mucus plugs.

The goal of this clinical trial is to help adolescents and young adults between the ages of 13-25 with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), medically stable, able to speak and read English, and are not experiencing a CF - related exacerbation, who are already active to remain, or gradually encourage them to increase their levels of physical activity Participants will be asked to utilize a smartphone program, called NUDGE that we have developed. NUDGE is a chatbot with evidence-based features known to help teens make progress toward health goal: * Set and review goals * Self-monitor progress * Provide feedback on goal attainment * Revise future goals

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a devastating chronic pulmonary disease that continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality despite great advances in therapies. Hispanic children with CF have worse outcomes, including higher mortality and more severe pulmonary disease, than non-Hispanic white children with CF. It is not known why Hispanic children with CF have more severe disease as it is not explained by CFTR genetic severity, diagnosis age, or socioeconomic status. The health disparities have worsened, not improved, for Hispanic children with CF since the development of new disease-altering therapeutics, CFTR modulators. It is critical to determine what is contributing to lung disease severity in Hispanic children with CF. Non-genetic factors, including environmental exposures, are estimated to account for 50% of lung disease severity variability in CF. Air pollution exposure during early childhood is associated with lower pulmonary function in healthy children and severe lung disease in children with asthma. However, air pollution exposure is vastly understudied in other chronic pulmonary diseases of childhood, such as CF. Investigating air pollution exposure in CF may provide vital information about the drivers of health disparities in Hispanic children with CF and about the environmental exposures influencing lung disease severity across all children with CF. To investigate air pollution exposure in children with CF, the investigators have assembled a multidisciplinary team of international experts in air pollution exposure, CF lung disease, health disparities, and pulmonary microbiome. The investigators will use two phenomenally rich databases, the CF Foundation Patient Registry and the University of Washington Spatiotemporal Air Pollution Exposure Model, to investigate the first aim: 1A) To determine whether neighborhood-level ambient air pollution exposure during childhood differs between 1500 Hispanic and 8500 non-Hispanic white cwCF in the CF Foundation Patient Registry, and 1B) To determine if neighborhood-level ambient air pollution exposure is associated with lung disease severity in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white cwCF. Across six geographically diverse clinical research CF centers, the investigators will enroll 100 Hispanic and 100 non-Hispanic children with CF to investigate the following aims: 2) To assess differences in residential indoor and ambient air pollution exposures by ethnicity in 200 cwCF, as well as the association between such exposure and pulmonary function by ethnicity, 3) To investigate the association of indoor and ambient air pollution exposure on airway inflammation and microbiome diversity and composition in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white cwCF using metatranscriptomic RNA sequencing. The HEROIC-CF Study is poised to advance the knowledge of the effect of air pollution exposure on not only CF lung disease severity, but may be a model to understand environmental exposures on disease severity in other chronic pulmonary diseases of childhood.

The goal of this study is to learn if one nutrition supplement formula works better than a different formula in adults with cystic fibrosis. The main question being addressed is: Will certain atypical versions of certain nutrients outperform typical versions of these nutrients? This will be determined by examining blood measures of nutrient levels and/or indications of nutrient function indicators pre- and post-intervention. Participants will take the supplements for 6 weeks with a blood draw before and after that time.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with major pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic alterations affecting antibiotic exposure, including changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Historically, these alterations justified the use of higher antibiotic doses in CF patients in order to achieve therapeutic concentrations and improve pulmonary outcomes. The advent of highly effective CFTR modulators, particularly the triple combination elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI), has substantially improved pulmonary function, nutritional status, inflammatory burden, and quality of life in patients with CF. ETI therapy also appears to modify respiratory microbiology and reduce the frequency of pulmonary exacerbations. These clinical and physiological improvements may alter antibiotic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in patients with CF, potentially making current high-dose antibiotic recommendations less appropriate for some patients. Since repeated exposure to high-dose antibiotics is associated with cumulative toxicities, particularly aminoglycoside-related ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity, reassessment of antibiotic dosing strategies is warranted. The PKCF study is a multicenter, prospective, observational, non-interventional study designed to characterize the pharmacokinetic profiles of intravenous antibiotics administered during pulmonary exacerbations in adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis receiving ETI therapy.

This clinical trial is examining the action and effects of several new drugs in the treatment of cystic fibrosis in children. In addition, several genetic factors are examined. The hope is that the ability to determine prior to treatment those individuals who will or will not respond to existing therapies will avoid needless risk of side effects and the high cost of a potentially ineffective treatment regimen. Understanding the way these drugs work in the body and the best way to study them is critical to expanding the use of these drugs to all patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

The purpose of this research study is to validate (check the accuracy of) laboratory assays, intravenous catheter insertion, and equipment or devices and their reproducibility, which is necessary to perform high quality research on chronic diseases, nutrition, and metabolism (the process by which a substance is handled in the body) at the University of Missouri. As technology changes and uses new testing methods, it is necessary to compare results from old tests, equipment and devices and new tests, equipment, or devices and the reproducibility of these measurements to make sure the results are accurate. Reproducibility means performing the same test more than once to see if the same results can be achieved each time. This study will look at the validation and reproducibility of tests and laboratory assays in participants who are healthy or affected by relevant endocrine, cardiometabolic, and musculoskeletal disorders.

Linaclotide is a medicine used to treat constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). It works by acting on the surface of the gut lining, where it increases the movement of salt and water into the bowel. This softens stools, makes them easier to pass, and can also reduce gut pain One advantage of linaclotide is that, unlike some natural substances in the gut, it is stable and can act throughout the intestine. Studies in animals show that it has the strongest effect in the upper small intestine, but it may act in other parts of the bowel as well. In people, however, it is not yet clear whether linaclotide mainly works in the small intestine or in the large intestine (colon). Knowing this is important, because it could help the investigators understand whether linaclotide might also be useful in other conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, where the gut does not handle fluid properly. Linaclotide is taken as a capsule, but less than 1% is absorbed into the bloodstream. Instead, it stays in the gut, where it is broken down into smaller active parts. This means both the small intestine and colon may be exposed to its effects. Until now, it has been hard to study this because traditional methods only measure one part of the gut at a time. A team at the University of Nottingham has developed MRI scanning methods that can safely and non-invasively measure water content in the small intestine and colon. The aim of this pilot study is to use MRI in healthy volunteers to see exactly where linaclotide acts. This knowledge will help optimise future studies in conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

The purpose of this study is to find out what causes kidney disease in people with CF. The investigators will study biomarkers in the blood and urine that can either predict who is at risk or detect kidney damage early before it becomes permanent. The study will compare these markers in people with CF over time and during the treatment of lung flare-ups. It will also compare the blood and urine samples obtained from people without CF. The comparison aims to better understand the impact of cystic fibrosis and its treatment on the kidneys, as well as to develop improved methods for preventing, diagnosing, and treating kidney issues associated with CF.

The purpose of this study is to measure the safety and explore the efficacy of 4 different doses of the new lipase NHS7108 in participants with EPI. In this study, all participants will take NHS7108 daily for 14 days and a matching dose of standard-of-care, pancrelipase (Zenpep®) for 14 days according to Treatment Sequence assignment. Both NHS7108 and Zenpep® are oral capsules that will be taken with each of the daily 3 meals and 2 snacks. Participants will interrupt all of their usual pancrelipase/pancreatin treatment for up to 8 days during screening and for the entire 2 treatment periods, where participants will take either the new lipase NHS7108 or a matching dose of the standard-of-care pancrelipase (Zenpep®). Participants will be asked to stay in a setting that allows controlled diet and 72-hour stool collection for approximately 7 days during the screening period and again for approximately 7 days at the end of each treatment period. During these 3 supervised periods, participants will receive a standardized diet with a predefined amount of fat and protein, stools will be collected in special containers and during the last day of the treatment period, blood samples will be obtained to measure fat absorption. These are essential to ensure valid assessment of participants' fat and protein absorption. Outside the 3 supervised periods, participants will be provided with guidelines and recommendations to create their own home-controlled meals and snacks according to their preferences for the remainder of the study duration. Number of Participants: The aim is to have 56 participants completing the study. Assuming approximately 14% drop-out rate, approximately 66 participants will be randomized to study intervention. Study Arms and Duration: The total study duration for each participant will be about 100 days (approximately 14 weeks), including: * A screening period of up to approximately 28 days (might be extended up to a total of 56 days) prior to the first dose administration. * A crossover treatment period (2 treatment periods: approximately 14 days each, with no washout in between). For each treatment period, study intervention will be administered 5 times a day (with 3 main meals and 2 snacks). After completion of Treatment Period 1, the participant will receive and start the new treatment for Treatment Period 2. * An end of treatment/early discontinuation visit within approximately 7 days of the last study intervention dose. * An end-of-study safety follow-up visit at 14 (±2) days after the last dose administration. Very low dose group: 10 mg NHS7108 (approximately 25,000 LU)/main meal and snack; 25,000 LU Zenpep/main meal and snack (50 mg NHS7108 \[approximately 125,000 LU\] per day; 125,000 LU Zenpep per day) Low dose group: 20 mg NHS7108 (approximately 50,000 LU)/main meal and 10 mg NHS7108 (approximately 25,000 LU)/snack; 50,000 LU Zenpep/main meal and 25,000 LU Zenpep/snack (80 mg NHS7108 \[approximately 200,000 LU\] per day; 200,000 LU Zenpep per day) Medium dose group: 40 mg NHS7108 (approximately 100,000 LU)/main meal and 20 mg (approximately 50,000 LU) NHS7108/snack; 100,000 LU Zenpep/main meal and 50,000 LU Zenpep/snack (160 mg \[approximately 400,000 LU\] NHS7108 per day; 400,000 LU Zenpep per day) High dose group: 60 mg NHS7108 (approximately 150,000 LU)/main meal and 30 mg NHS7108 (approximately 75,000 LU)/snack; 150,000 LU Zenpep/main meal and 75,000 LU Zenpep/snack (240 mg NHS7108 \[approximately 600,000 LU\] per day; 600,000 LU Zenpep per day). The dose for participants \< 60 kg who are assigned to the high dose group will need to be weight-adjusted to ensure that they receive no more than 10,000 LU/kg/day.

This research study is looking at new ways of measuring the function of the lungs in patients with cystic fibrosis. This study is using the most advanced methods for measuring lung function including 2 tests called hyperpolarised gas magnetic resonance imaging (HP MRI) and multiple breath washout (MBW), to better understand changes in the lungs over time. HP MRI involves taking pictures of the air in your lungs after breathing in a harmless gas (xenon). MBW is a breathing test used to calculate something called the lung clearance index (LCI). By measuring these tests on the same day, alongside standard lung function tests, we aim to understand lung function in greater detail than ever before.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder affecting the entire body and associated with respiratory exacerbations, impaired quality of life and reduced life expectancy. The therapeutic management of cystic fibrosis has been profoundly changed by the recent arrival of a combination of highly effective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators, Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor (ETI), which improve quality of life, respiratory function and reducing the number of exacerbations. The impact of these treatments on exercise adaptation has not been clearly identified. The main objective is to estimate the prevalence of ventilatory reserve amputation during submaximal exercise testing assessed by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with cystic fibrosis treated with ETIs.

This research aims to evaluate the effects of upper and lower limb exercises on muscle strength and pulmonary function in children diagnosed with CF. While aerobic training is a known component of CF management, resistance training focused on specific limb groups has gained attention for its additional benefits. Upper limb exercises may aid respiratory muscle endurance and thoracic mobility, enhancing pulmonary mechanics. In contrast, lower limb exercises (such as cycling or squats) are associated with improved oxygen consumption (VO₂ peak), enhanced mobility, and greater lower body strength. This randomized clinical trial will be conducted using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The study will take place at the pediatric cystic fibrosis centers of Gulab Devi Chest Hospital and The Children's Hospital, Lahore. The targeted population includes children aged 6 to 18 years who have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and referred to the physiotherapy department. The study duration will be ten months following the approval of the synopsis. Eligible participants will be children aged between 6 and 18 years, clinically diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, currently stable with no history of hospitalization or significant lung infection in the past month. They should be physically able to participate in exercise and capable of following instructions, with informed consent obtained from their parents or guardians. Children will be excluded if they suffer from other severe lung diseases, cardiovascular or orthopedic conditions that restrict exercise, recent surgery or hospitalization within the last month, or if they are unable to understand instructions. Those dependent on oxygen therapy or ventilator support at all times will also be excluded. The primary outcome measures will include lung function assessed by spirometry (FVC, FEV1), sputum production recorded through a sputum diary, and aerobic capacity measured by the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT). Muscle strength will be evaluated for both upper and lower limbs, using a handheld dynamometer for the upper limbs and the Sit-to-Stand Test for the lower limb

It is aimed to reveal impairments regarding urinary incontinence, dyspnea, muscle strength, functional capacity or quality of life in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis compared to healthy children and adolescents.